Buttermilk & Ginger Scones with Blackcurrant Jam Recipe

Ingredients

For The Scones:
450g self raising flour
1 heaped tsp baking powder
125g cold butter
30g sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
100g crystallised ginger
3 eggs
150ml buttermilk (or a 50/50 mixture of Greek style yogurt and milk)
A splash of milk
For The Filling:
226g clotted cream
8 tbsp blackcurrant jam

Prep: 20 mins | Cook: 10-12 mins

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Method

1. Warm your oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas 7. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.

2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Coarsely grate in the cold butter. Rub the flour and butter together with your fingertips till they have the texture of breadcrumbs. Incorporate as much air as possible by lifting your hands high out of the bowl when rubbing, and letting the flour/butter crumbs fall back into bowl.

3. Add the sugar and ground ginger. Finely chop the crystallised ginger and stir it in.

4. Beat 2 eggs together then use a fork to mix them into the bowl. Add the buttermilk or yogurt mix.

5. Gently incorporate all the ingredients together – don't knead it as you would with bread. Tip the mixture onto a lightly floured surface and gently press down till about 2½cm thick.

6. Cut the scones out with a 6cm cutter – you should have about 12 scones. You can bring together the scraps of dough once, reshape and cut more scones out of them but do this with care or you'll end up with tough scones. Pop the scones on the baking tray.

7. Beat the remaining egg with a splash of milk and use the mixture to brush the tops of the scones. Take care not to brush the sides or they won't rise.

8. Slide the scones into the hot oven for about 10 mins, till the bottoms and tops are both golden. Remove the scones from the oven and leave them to cool on a rack.

9. When cool, carefully split the scones open. Dollop generously woth clotted cream and jam to serve.

10. All Scone
These scones are best enjoyed on the day they're baked, although you can store them in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Refresh them by popping them in the oven till warmed through.

11. What's Your Flavour?
You can leave out the ground and crystallised ginger for plain scones, or try replacing them with…
- 100g sultanas with the zest of 1 orange
- the zest of 1 lemon with 2 tbsp poppy seeds
- chopped dried apricots with a pinch of cinnamon
And try out different jams such as our gooseberry or rhubarb, or go traditional with strawberry.

12.

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Rating

Whilst tasting absolutely lovely, my scones certainly didn’t hold their upright shape.; instead they spread across the pan and were really quite flat. I followed the recipe exactly but when mixed the dough was very wet and loose. I also baked the cheese version with the same result. However, in spite of their lack of correct form, they were tremendously well received at a family and friends garden party. The cheese and ham version being a big hit with the men.